“Hey.”
“What’s up?”
Ning Rong was a little surprised to suddenly receive a call from Jiang Yin.
Usually, she wouldn’t call without a reason—the only time she had called was the ‘bleeding incident’ yesterday morning.
Even if the Bureau had a mission, they wouldn’t notify her through Jiang Yin’s personal phone.
In the café, sitting across from Ning Rong was a black-haired girl wrapped tightly in a baseball cap and mask.
But just looking at those beautiful phoenix eyes, anyone would feel she was definitely a stunning beauty.
She stared curiously.
She didn’t know why, but she felt this call Ning Rong answered was unusual.
That gentle (actually, not gentle at all—just a bit more emotional than usual) voice…
Could it be a love affair!?
“The clothes you bought for me before…”
On the other side, Jiang Yin was organizing her words with mixed feelings.
Was she angry? Not really.
Besides, the other person had kindly helped buy clothes, so she should be thankful.
But still, it felt a bit subtle.
Commonly known as sulking.
“Which store did you go to?”
“Pfft.”
She laughed!
The black-haired girl widened her eyes, her pupils sparkling in disbelief.
She didn’t even realize the spoon in her hand fell onto her cake.
Sister Ning actually laughed!
“You went to buy clothes yourself?”
“Did you just laugh!? You definitely laughed, right!?”
“No, I’ll recommend a few online stores to you when I get back. Hanging up now, with a friend.”
She hung up seriously.
On one end was a white-haired girl with a pouting mouth, and on the other was a black-haired girl with curious big eyes.
“Sister Ning, the girl on the phone just now…”
“Colleague.”
“Oh.”
The black-haired girl said nothing, just looked away, her eyes full of doubt.
She didn’t believe it at all!
***
On the other side, Jiang Yin, who was hung up on, sighed helplessly.
She looked again at the [Mengbao Children’s Wear] store, hesitated, but still didn’t go in.
She felt like if she went in, she’d completely lose something important.
Since Ning Rong promised to recommend online shops, she’d just shop online.
After leaving the mall, the girl didn’t go straight back, but turned a corner to the popular snack street next door.
Back in college, she used to come here with classmates often.
Years passed, but the place hadn’t changed much.
The few stinky tofu shops at the entrance still stank to high heaven.
Jiang Yin really didn’t understand what the street management was thinking by letting four stinky tofu shops open right at the entrance of the snack street.
Did they not realize some people couldn’t stand the smell?
And the stinky tofu sold in the north really smelled terrible.
If she hadn’t traveled to Xiang Province, she might never have known that these shops claiming to sell authentic Xiang Province stinky tofu actually had nothing to do with the real thing.
The ones over there are crispy!
It’s like how the authentic Yun Province Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles from the northeast and the Yun Province Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles are completely different.
All she could say was—it’s weird.
Pinching her nose, she walked the twenty meters through the stink, and in the crowded snack street, Jiang Yin found her old favorites.
Crystal Steamed Dumplings, Pineapple Rice, Extra Spicy Grilled Wings, and Fragrant Grilled Pork Trotter.
They were truly delicious.
In this internet-famous snack street that survived more on reputation than quality and was propped up by tourists, these were the only four foods she’d want to eat again.
Though after starting work, she rarely came here anymore.
She also bought a Mango Milkshake.
The girl found an empty corner with a stone block, lined up her delicacies, and tasted them one by one.
Pineapple Rice was basically rice steamed with pineapple and a bit of sugar, served in a bowl made from the pineapple’s outer skin.
The flavor was refreshing.
A bite was sweet, sour, soft, and filled with the fragrance of fruit, but not enough to overpower the aroma of rice.
It was somewhere between a dessert and a staple food.
Eating Pineapple Rice alone might be bland, but following it with a bite of Extra Spicy Grilled Wings—the crispy chicken skin dripping with fat and the intense spiciness balancing the sweetness in your mouth—left only the pure taste of meat with a lingering hint of pineapple.
Then a sip of Mango Milkshake, a few bites of the soft and sticky yet crispy Fragrant Grilled Pork Trotter, and finally, a bite of the fresh and chewy Crystal Shrimp Dumpling to finish—the feeling was simply heavenly.
Truly a pleasure.
But as she ate, Jiang Yin began to feel as if something was watching her.
Normally, she wasn’t this sensitive, but for some reason, whenever she focused on something, she’d become aware of gazes from behind.
What’s more, the small alley she chose had only a coffee shop and two bars that didn’t open during the day.
No shops sold anything.
Almost no one wandered over, so any gaze felt especially noticeable.
Jiang Yin turned her head instinctively.
What she saw was an extremely beautiful black-haired girl, with a round face and big eyes, exquisite makeup, and an expressive look.
“Big sister, your food smells amazing!”
Looking behind her, there was a man carrying a camera and two young women in baseball caps, obviously assistants or staff.
‘Are they…filming a show?’
As a well-known snack street next to a famous tourist spot, program crews often came here, and various internet celebrities were a common sight.
Running into someone carrying a camera or a selfie stick on the street wasn’t surprising at all.
Jiang Yin had seen it before, and even recognized familiar shops on hit programs.
But for them to wander into such a quiet alley was rare—even though it was less than fifty meters from the main snack street, a few twists and turns made it feel isolated from the bustling world.
The noise next door couldn’t reach here at all.
“Want some?”
Jiang Yin looked at her bitten grilled wings and pork trotter, and the pineapple rice she’d already scooped, and figured celebrities must care about that sort of thing.
So she offered the plate of Crystal Shrimp Dumplings, of which only one had been eaten.
“Really?”
The girl’s eyes lit up, her round face full of joy.
It was genuine excitement for food, not a fake courtesy.
Having spent years in the workplace, Jiang Yin could tell the difference between real smiles and polite facades.
She’d met celebrities in person before, like when companies were doing well and brought minor stars in for promotional events.
Most colleagues weren’t fans and showed little interest, but she remembered the fake smiles—warm yet distant—and completely understood them.
—Clearly, they just wanted to leave work early, but had to deal with clients.
At the time, she had marveled that celebrities truly deserved their reputation—their fake smiles must have been practiced, impossible to distinguish from the real thing.
She never expected to meet a dummy celebrity today who wore her heart on her sleeve.
It wasn’t that she was too confident in her judgment, but…
“Big sister, can I have a bite of the pork trotter too?”
“Go ahead, go ahead.”
—This greedy girl was almost drooling.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.